Nkhondo Yolimbana ndi Matenda ndi Imfa​—Kodi Ikupambanidwa?

SIPADZAKHALANSO matenda, sipadzakhalanso imfa! Kwa anthu ambiri zimenezo zingamveke ngati maloto wamba. Ndiiko komwe, monga momwe dokotala wazamankhwala ndiponso profesa wa phunziro lofufuza tizilombo tating’ono Wade W. Oliver analembera: “Chiyambire nthaŵi zakale kwenikweni, matenda aumba kwakukulu mapeto a anthu . . . Miliri yachaola yaikulu yakantha anthu ndi liŵiro lochititsa mantha . . . Kudwala kwatsatira mapazi ake kwa nthaŵi zonse.”

Kodi pali chifukwa chirichonse chokhulupirira kuti masinthidwe aakulu ali pafupi? Kodi sayansi ya zamankhwala ili pafupi kuthetsa kudwala konse ndipo mwinamwake ngakhale imfa yeniyeniyo?

Mosakaikira, adokotala ndi ofufuza achita ntchito yozizwitsa m’kulimbana ndi matenda. Kodi ndimunthu wokhala ndi chidziŵitso wotani amene angalephere kukhala woyamikira kuchiritsa kwachipambano kwa cholera (chizuula), kofikiridwa pomalizira pake chakumapeto kwa zaka za zana la 19, kapena katemera wolimbana ndi nthomba yochititsa manthayo? Katemera ameneyo anapangidwa mu 1796 ndi Edward Jenner kuchokera ku chilonda chosapha kwenikweni cha cowpox. Mu 1806, pulezidenti wa ku United States, Thomas Jefferson anafotokoza malingaliro a anthu ena ambiri pamene anamulembera Jenner kuti: “Yomwe wachitayi ndi ntchito yabwino imene anthu sadzaiŵala konse kuti unakhalapo ndi moyo; mitundu yamtsogolo idzadziŵa kokha mwakuphunzira mbiri yakale kuti kudali nthomba yoipayo.”

Ndiponso, zipambano za kufufuza kwazamankhwala m’chigwirizano ndi matenda onga ngati diphtheria ndi poliomyelitis chiyeneranso kutchulidwa moyanja ndi moyamikira. Ndipo ndi anthu oŵerengeka okha lerolino amene samatamanda kupita patsogolo kwaposachedwapa m’kuchiritsa nthenda ya mtima ndi kansa. Komabe, anthu adakali kufa ndi nthenda ya mtima ndi kansa. Chonulirapo chakuthetsa matenda onse ndi kudwala chatsimikizira kukhala chovuta.

Matenda “Atsopano”

Modabwitsa, mbadwo uno umene wawona kupangidwa kwa makina ofufuzira otchedwa CAT ndi opareshoni yokonzanso ziŵalo zathupi wawonanso kuyambika kwa matenda “atsopano,” monga ngati nthenda ya Legionnaires, toxic shock syndrome, ndi matenda akupha ofalitsidwa koposa otchedwa AIDS.

Kunena zowona, ambiri amafunsa kuti kodi matendawa ngatsopano motani. Nkhani ya m’nyuzipepala ya U.S.News & World Report ikuthirira ndemanga kuti, m’zochitika zina, matenda amene akhalapo kwa nthaŵi yaitali angozindikiridwa molongosoka koposa ndi kupatsidwa maina atsopano. Mwachitsanzo, nthenda ya Legionnaires inazindikiridwa choyamba mu 1976, koma ingakhale inatchedwa molakwika kalelo kukhala chibayo chochititsidwa ndi kachirombo. Mofananamo, nthenda ya toxic shock syndrome ingakhale inalingaliridwa molakwa kalelo kukhala scarlet fever.

Chikhalirechobe, matenda ambiri akuwoneka kukhaladi atsopano. Mosakaikira AIDS ndiyo yodziŵika koposa pa onsewa. Nthenda yolemaza ndi yakupha imeneyi inazindikiridwa choyamba ndi kutchedwa dzina mu 1981. Matenda ena “atsopano” osadziŵika kwambiri ndi malungo a ku Brazil otchedwa purpuric. Anazindikiridwa choyamba m’Brazil mu 1984 ndipo amapha anthu paliŵiro loyerekezeredwa kukhala 50 peresenti.

Palibe Chochiritsa Chomwe Chikuyembekezeredwa

Chotero, mosasamala kanthu za zoyesayesa zabwino koposa za anthu, chochiritsa chotheratu ndi chokhalitsa cha zovuta zonse za anthu kulibeko. Nzowona kuti avereji ya moyo wa anthu yawonjezereka ndi pafupifupi zaka 25 chiyambire chaka cha 1900. Koma kusintha kumeneku kwachitika kwakukulukulu chifukwa cha luso lazamankhwala limene lachepetsako upandu wakufa mu ukhanda kapena muubwana. Utali wa moyo wa munthu udakali pafupi ndi wa m’Baibulo wa “zaka makumi asanu ndi aŵiri.”​—Salmo 90:10.

Chotero panakhala nkhani yofalitsidwa mokulira pamene Anna Williams anamwalira mu December 1987 pamsinkhu wa zaka 114. Pothirira ndemanga pa imfa ya Mayi Williams, wolemba nkhani m’danga la nyuzipepala analemba kuti: “Asayansi amaganiza kuti zaka 115 mpaka 120 mwinamwake ndizo mlingo wapamwamba koposa wa utali wa moyo wa munthu. Koma kodi nchifukwa ninji ziyenera kukhala choncho? Kodi nchifukwa ninji thupi la munthu liyenera kutopa pambuyo pa zaka 70, 80, kapena ngakhale 115?”

M’ma 1960, asayansi yazamankhwala anatumba kuti maselo a anthu akuwoneka kukhala ndi kuthekera kwakugawanikana kwa nthaŵi 50 zokha. Malire ameneŵa atafikiridwa, kukuwoneka kuti palibe china chirichonse chimene chingachitidwe kuwapangitsa maselowo kukhalabe amoyo. Zimenezi zikuwonekera kusemphana ndi nthanthi yasansi yoyambirira yakuti maselo a anthu angakhalebe amoyo kosatha ngati apatsidwa mikhalidwe yoyenera.

Phatikizani zimenezo ndi kuzindikira kwakuti kuvutika kwambiri kwa anthu kumapangitsidwa ndi munthu. Monga momwe wofufuza wina wamkazi anatsimikizira mwanzeru kuti: “Matenda sanagonjetsedwe ndi zochiritsa zamankhwala zokha. Mbiri ya matenda njogwirizana thithithi ndi mfundo zamayanjano ndi makhalidwe.”

Bungwe la World Health Organization linafotokoza kuti: “Tadzivulaza tokha, pokhulupirira kuti sayansi, adokotala ndi zipatala angapeze chochiritsa, mmalo moletsa zoyambitsa matenda zenizenizo poyambirira. Ndithudi sitingathe kukhala ndi moyo popanda zinthu zoperekera thandizo lamankhwala limene limapulumutsadi moyo, koma tiyeni timvetsetse kuti sizimawonjezera ‘thanzi’ lathu​—zimatiletsa kufa. . . . Chilakolako chodziwononga cha wosuta ndi wakumwa, ziyambukiro za ulova pa maganizo ndi thupi​—zonsezi ndiena a ‘matenda atsopano.’ Kodi nchifukwa ninji timaulola ‘mliri wa ngozi zapamsewu,’ umene umasakaza miyoyo ndikutha ndalama zathu?”

Chotero matenda, kudwala, kuvutika, ndi imfa zidakali nafe. Komabe, tiri ndi chifukwa chakuyang’anira kutsogolo ndi chidaliro ku nthaŵi imene sikudzakhalanso matenda ndi imfa. Chabwino koposa nchakuti, pali chifukwa chokwanira chokhulupirira kuti nthaŵi imeneyo iri pafupi kwenikweni.

[Bokosi patsamba 4]

‘NTHENDA ZA AIGUPTO’

Chenicheni chakuti anthu akhala akulimbana ndi matenda mosaphula kanthu kuyambira nthaŵi zakale chafotokozedwa ngakhale m’Baibulo. Mwachitsanzo, Mose anasonya mozizwitsa ku ‘nthenda zoipa zirizonse za Aigupto.’​—Deuteronomo 7:15.

Mwachiwonekere izo zinaphatikizapo kasipa, kamwazi, nthomba, mliri, ndi maso. Anthu a Mose anapulumuka matenda ameneŵa kwakukulukulu chifukwa cha miyezo yaukhondo yapamwamba yoikidwiratu pa iwo ndi pangano la Chilamulo.

Komabe, kusanthula kosamalitsa kwa mitembo youmikidwa ya Aigupto kwatulukira m’kuzindikiridwa kwa unyinji wina wa ‘nthenda za Aigupto.’ Matendaŵa anaphatikizapo nyamakazi, spondylitis, matenda a mano ndi zigama, appendicitis, ndi gout. Cholembedwa chakale chazamankhwala, chotchedwa Ebers Papyrus, chimatchulanso matenda onga ngati zotupa, kudwala m’mimba ndi chiŵindi, matenda a suga, khate, kufiira maso, ndi ugonthi.

Asing’anga amakedzana Achiigupto anachita zimene akanatha kuthetsa matenda ameneŵa, ena anakhala akatswiri enieni m’zamankhwala. Katswiri wa mbiri yakale Wachigiriki Herodotus analemba kuti: “Dzikolo [Igupto] nlodzaza ndi asing’anga; wina amachiza matenda a maso okha; wina amachiza a mutu, mano, m’mimba, kapena ziŵalo zamkati.” Komabe, “mankhwala” ambiri Achiigupto analidi ozikidwa pa zikhulupiriro zachipembedzo osati ausayansi.

Asing’anga amakono asangalala ndi chipambano chachikulu m’nkhondo yawo yolimbana ndi matenda. Komabe, wofufuza zamankhwala wamkazi Jessie Dobson anafikira mapeto odzutsa maganizo awa: “Pamenepo, kodi tingaphunzirenji ku kufufuza matenda a mibadwo yakale? Mapeto achisawawa ochokera ku kufufuza kwa umboniwo amawoneka kuti matenda ndi zovuta zakale sizimasiyana kwenikweni ndi zomwe ziripo panthaŵi ino . . . Mwachiwonekere maluso ndi zoyesayesa zonse za kufufuza koleza mtima zachita zochepa kuthetseratu matenda.”​—Disease in Ancient Man.